Among the three Folklore songs linked to the teenage love triangle, Taylor Swift wrote “august” first. The three connected tracks are “cardigan,” “august,” and “betty,” which present different perspectives on the same fictional relationship.
“august” is told from the perspective of the unnamed girl involved with James during the summer. “cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective, while “betty” follows James as he reflects on his actions and seeks reconciliation.
Swift created the trilogy as part of Folklore’s broader fictional world. She imagined characters and story arcs rather than presenting the songs as straightforward accounts of her own life. The narrator of “august” was never given a definitive name, although Swift said she privately thought of her as Augusta or Augustine.
The writing order is easy to confuse with the track order or release order. “cardigan” opens the album, “august” is track eight, and “betty” is track 14, but “august” was the first of the three that Swift wrote.